The Benelli family began making motorcycles in 1921 and the company still designs them at the Benelli R&D center located in Pesaro, Italy. While Italian vehicles are renowned for their classic styling, quality, and performance, Benelli now operates under the ownership of the Qianjiang Group based in Zhejiang Province, China.
In its review of the 2018 Benelli TNT 135, Motorcycle.com says, “Yes, many Chinese motorcycles are complete crap. The TnT135 is not one of them.” The review lists Benelli’s limited dealer network, lack of ABS braking, non-adjustable brake and clutch levers, and class-topping weight are among the TNT 135’s downsides, however, it offers “lots of bang for little buck.”
Compared to the Honda Grom (a significant competitor), the TNT 135 provides a larger engine (135 cc to 124 cc), weighs about 32 pounds more (256 pounds to 224), and has a taller seat height (30.7- inches to 30.0). The least expensive 2024 Honda Grom MSRP is listed at $3,599 while a new Benelli TNT 135 MSRP is $3,199.
